I want to invest in my business – But growth isn’t right
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A lot of business owners may feel as though if they aren’t growing, then the business is standing still.
In theory the more a business expands, the more potential there is for money to be made. But, how often it is that a business expands, but can’t keep up with it. Simply, the more a business grows the more money, profit and resources it has to put into that growth to sustain it. There are even times when a business can grow too big for its market and then have to recede. Apart from expanding a business, what sort of investments can be put into a business to help it improve?
Saving money as a ‘rainy day’ fund is certainly not something negative. Having a safety net can be crucial for businesses, especially if they encounter cash flow issues, or need replacement assets. So sometimes, saving money and growing the business isn’t the right option, so what are the best ways to spend the money?
Improve the operations of the business
The most important thing a business can do is stay on top of its operations and be constantly improving how it produces, or how it delivers its services. Finding the best practices within the sector and improving how a business operates is what keeps it competitive. Those who aren’t constantly looking to improve and stay up to date with business processes typically end up getting left behind.
There might not always be room for expansion, but there will always be areas for improvement. It could be through better, machinery, staff motivation, or improving the delivery of a service or production. Although from these may not seem like the biggest ways of delivering compared to expansion, they can offer a sizeable ROI.
Stay in touch with your market
With industries and businesses always changing so do markets. Businesses are dictated by markets and what they are doing, so staying in touch with clients and up to date with changing market places is critical. This can only be done through market research and finding out what the business might be doing.
Market research and staying up to date with your market should be a constant process. Market places are constantly changing, so keeping up with new trends is key. Businesses need to ask their clients, what they are doing right, wrong and simply how they can improve. The more information available, the easier it will be for a business to improve their everyday functions and how they deliver their product or service.
Put Money into the workforce
With most businesses, the workforce is the most important asset. Without people working within the business, it simply wouldn’t be able to function. Keeping the workforce happy and feeling positive and appreciated is the best way to get more productivity. The more value an employee feels the more they will want to achieve for the business.
Investing more into your workforce doesn’t necessarily mean having to increase salaries. Try to educate staff more and involve them with further training. Make sure their work feels appreciated and if they are in any doubts over how to effectively do their jobs, give them all the assistance necessary to make them feel comfortable. What knowledge do they need to make the business service they’re providing better? Could they improve on their current method of output?
As appose to offering a standard salary increase, where possible try to incentivise staff. This could be through bonuses for certain objectives hit, paid days out, gym membership or leisure time offers. If a business is able to show how much it appreciates its staff then it will create dedicated, hardworking loyal staff.
Improved or new equipment
Improving your equipment or even getting new equipment, seems like an obvious choice for businesses, but not enough do it. No business will want to spend money on things that aren’t necessary. If all of your assets are working fine, then why try and fix what’s not broken? What needs to be considered above that, is if you have the best equipment available or not? Or how long will your current equipment continue to perform at its level for?
If a business could potentially improve its equipment to help the business work better, then it could be an great investment which actually boosts productivity. If new equipment updates your current ware and improves productivity, lasting over a longer period of time, it can be very worthwhile. Although arguably one of the more expensive ways to invest internally, asset finance can be a brilliant way getting these assets without spending over the odds, or alternatively going through the route of invoice finance.
Summary
These are just a few different potential areas where a business may be able to put money back into the business. What’s essential to think about when investing internally, is whether or not you will see a return on investment. It’ s important for a business not to stagnate, but also to know where and when to invest and not just to do it for the sake of it.
These are just a few potential areas where a business could put money back into the business. What’s key to consider when thinking about investing, is if it will give you a return. Is the spend worth the return? It’s important for a business not to stagnate, but at the same time making a carefully considered investment, is much better than investing for the sake of it.
Source: http://www.bmmagazine.co.uk